Similar Habits
by Andraste
Summary: G'Kar discusses gardening with Delenn. A missing scene from 'Midnight on the Firing Line'.


Disclaimer: I don't own B5. I'm not making any money from this story.  
  
Summary: Missing scene from 'Midnight on the Firing Line' that cuts in after Sinclair leaves the gardens following his conversation with G'Kar.  
  
Similar Habits  
  
By Andraste  
  
Once the Commander had gone, G'Kar stalked through the gardens searching for his composure, and wishing that there was a true forrest available where he could prepare himself for the council meeting. There were few enough places worthy of the name on his homeworld now, and he had not realised that he would miss them almost as much as he missed proper sunlight.  
  
He had travelled in space on many occasions, but before coming to Babylon 5 he had never lived there. Sometimes the thought that he was standing in a tube floating through the void still might his head spin slightly. Today, it made him think of the first Narn colonists on route to Ragesh III. They had been brave enough to journey for years in real space, without the aid of jump gates, living and dieing and waiting for the day when they would make landfall. He wondered if they would still have gone willingly, had they known how soon the great Centauri hand would stretch out and crush them.  
  
This station was a ship that was never meant to land. Instead of earth beneath his boots there was only metal, and he could smell a dozen scents on the recycled air that had no connection with plant life. One of which belonged to Ambassador Delenn, who must have been waiting around the next corner.  
  
He knew that she often came here, but the place was large enough that they seldom ran across each other, and G'Kar liked things that way. The last thing he wanted after his conversation with Sinclair was to deal with the Minbari envoy. He went on only because turning in another direction would have stung too much after being accused of cowardice.  
  
He hadn't yet decided how to behave toward her, especially since the incident in her quarters that had left him with a cracked rib. Neither of them had mentioned what she had done since, and he wasn't going to be the one to bring it up.  
  
G'Kar was still wondering which taboo he had trodden on to draw such a reaction, although after some thought it had provided interesting avenues for research on his colleague. Nobody actually knew the identities of the Grey Council, but there were those who had their suspicions. He had come to share several of them.  
  
"Ambassador Delenn," he said, strolling around the corner to find her seated on a bench, staring at what appeared to be a pile of stones.  
  
"Ambassador G'Kar," she replied smoothly. "Have you also come to clear your mind before the meeting?"  
  
"In a manner of speaking."  
  
It would have been far simpler to deal with Delenn if Minbari only fought fair. Then again, his job would also have been easier (and more pleasant) if he could have had Sinclair skinned alive for insulting him so gravely, or if he hadn't needed to prevent himself strangling Mollari the day before.  
  
Yet he had been chosen for this position partly because he had always been an advocate of fighting with words rather than blades where possible - killing his fellow representatives would hardly be a sensible career move. For Mollari, it might almost be worth it ... but he needed to find a better way with Delenn.  
  
There was little point in discussing which way she would vote, so he focused on the object of her intense scrutiny instead. "Contemplating rocks?"  
  
"Yes," she said, smiling slightly. "It is a human invention. They can be unusually profound for such a young species."  
  
"I'm not certain that I see the appeal." Why anyone would want to decorate their gardens with rubble escaped him for the moment.  
  
"You prefer the plants and trees, then?"  
  
He shrugged. "The gardens are adequate. But perhaps lifeless rocks are more honest than trees that have no true life." He looked around. "Why, I am sure I can see species from half a dozen different continents, all made to crowd together with no sustainability. It is a poor substitute for a forrest."  
  
Delenn looked at him sharply. "It is true that a garden is artificial, yet it is more than an imitation of something that occurs naturally. Some of the the most beautiful things will only grow under carefully controlled conditions."  
  
"My people see little value in that which cannot stand up alone," he said. "More often than not, if such plants were left in their own habitat instead of uprooted and propagated elsewhere, they would thrive."  
  
"I think it is a pity that you believe this," Delenn replied. "All things require assistance sometimes, to survive." With that, she rose from the bench. "Perhaps if you continue to contemplate your surroundings, you will perceive their beauty. I will see you at the council meeting."  
  
G'Kar shook his head at her retreating back, glad to be alone once again. Minbari who attacked him without honour, or wished to discuss philosophy, depending on their mood. Humans who insulted him in a way that would have earned them death on his homeworld. Centauri who spat on his lunch. An artificial creation indeed, and one likely to fail.  
  
Yet, for now it had its uses, inharmonious as its composition might be. Perhaps it would be wise to let it grow a little longer and see what would develop.  
  
The End 


End file.
